Guide to Local Culture

Welcome Home

We’d love to meet you in person. We invite you to read about our excellent college preparatory program and the benefits of residence life, but we believe the best way to know whether Saint Stanislaus is the right fit for a student is a family visit to explore the area.

The following guide offers just a small sample of the cultural opportunities our students experience via field trips and weekend excursions.

Places to Go, Things to See

Our campus extends beyond the classrooms and grassy commons to the Gulf of Mexico, the picturesque downtown area of Bay St. Louis – which Budget Travel calls one of “America’s Coolest Small Towns” – and to nearby metropolitan areas. We are equidistant from the culturally rich and diverse cities of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Gulfport, Mississippi, offering award-winning arts destinations, breathtaking natural beauty and a musical heritage that is legendary around the world.

Arts Galore to Explore

Bay St. Louis boasts a thriving artist community and a downtown teeming with local shops. Browse for a gripping new novel at Bay Books, grab a cup of coffee at Mockingbird Café –a favorite after-school stop – and check out the latest on display from The Arts, Hancock County. Other must-see stops along the arts and history trail:

Lights, Camera, Vieux Carré!

Over the past decade, the New Orleans Mayor’s Office of Cultural Economy has grown the city’s production line-up from “the bayou to the big city.” Often referred to as the Hollywood of the South, stroll down any of the city’s character-rich streets and you’re likely to find yourself in the center of a movie set.

Sporting in Style

A centerpiece of the New Orleans business district, the Mercedes-Benz Superdome is home to the New Orleans Saints football club, but football isn’t the only game in town. The region offers plenty of opportunities to cheer on professional sports teams – from the NBA Pelicans to the Biloxi Shuckers AA and Zephyrs AAA baseball teams.

Festivals Small to Grand

No guide to this region would be complete without a mention of Mardi Gras, the Fat Tuesday celebration that jams the streets of New Orleans every year. Students and families can enjoy a softer side of the revelry with a trip to Family Gras in nearby Metairie. Preservation Hall is an all-ages venue created to help preserve the history of New Orleans Jazz and is a good way to experience the music of Mardi Gras away from the crowds.

Cruisin’ the Coast is a big draw from classic car enthusiasts across the U.S., just one of many festivals that dot the Mississippi coast throughout the year.

Food as Art

As much as we all enjoy our annual Mardi Gras King Cake, the region also caters to more sophisticated palates. In fact, one of our favorite chefs just happens to be a former Saint Stanislaus student, Chef John Besh, the proprietor of noted establishments such as August, Luke, Domenica and Borgne in New Orleans and Luke San Antonio Riverwalk in San Antonio, Texas.

Science and Nature at Play

Saint Stanislaus takes advantage of access to some of the premiere research institutions in the world. NASA’s Stennis Space Center is one of the incredible partners for our marine science program. Infinity Science Center at Stennis engages explorers from every generation. Other recommendations include:

Naturally Beautiful

Once visitors glimpse the view from our beachfront campus, they often lose the incentive to explore much farther, but the region’s beauty runs deep along the coast and off the beaten path. Here are just a few of our favorite destinations for enjoying the great outdoors: